Live at the National Constitution Center

Our annual Supreme Court term review, hosted in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League, recapped the landmark cases from this past term and previewed what’s to come next term. The panel featured Supreme Court experts Dahlia Lithwick, Erwin Chemerinsky, Paul Clement, and Frederick Lawrence. Karen Levit, National Civil Rights Counsel at ADL moderates, with opening remarks from National Constitution Center President Jeffrey Rosen.Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Last week, historians Martha Jones and Lisa Tetrault joined National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen for a conversation exploring the history and legacy of the 19th Amendment. The discussion highlighted the untold stories of women from all backgrounds who fought for women's suffrage and equality for all. Martha Jones is author of the new book Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All. Lisa Tetrault is author of The Myth of Seneca Falls: Memory and the Women's Suffrage Movement, 1848-1898.This program was presented as part of the 19th Amendment: Past, Present, and Future symposium presented in partnership with All in Together, the George & Barbara Bush Foundation, the LBJ Presidential Library, the National Archives, The 19th, and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. It’s as part of the National Constitution Center's Women and the Constitution initiative – a yearlong celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.Learn more about the National Constitution Center’s new exhibit The 19th Amendment: How Women Won the Vote here https://constitutioncenter.org/experience/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitionsQuestions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

In the spring, the National Constitution Center hosted a series of online constitutional classes where students, teachers, and parents joined in constitutional discussions with scholars from the Center and guest speakers. As we gear up for more classes this coming school year, we’re sharing one of our favorite lectures from spring 2020 on today’s episode.   National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen was joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Eric Foner for a conversation about the Constitution and slavery in America, including the history and legacy of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, ratified during Reconstruction.   Our schedule of constitutional classes for the 2020-2021 school year, which will begin on August 31, is now available online: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/online-civic-learning-opportunities. Check out all of our online educational resources: https://constitutioncenter.org/learn.  Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

In the spring, the National Constitution Center hosted a series of online constitutional classes where students, teachers, and parents joined in constitutional discussions with scholars from the National Constitution Center and guest speakers. As we gear up for more classes this coming school year, we’re sharing one of our favorite lectures from the spring on today’s episode.  National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen was joined by Emily Bazelon—a lawyer, law professor, journalist, and podcast host who is staff writer at The New York Times Magazine and the Truman Capote Fellow at Yale Law School. Emily and Jeff answered audience questions about coronavirus’ potential impacts on the upcoming election—including how it impacted primaries in places like Wisconsin and what challenges it might pose for the general election in November.  Our schedule of constitutional classes  for the 2020-2021 school year will be available soon at: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/online-civic-learning-opportunities. In the meantime, check out all of our online educational resources at https://constitutioncenter.org/learn. Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

What did the original Constitution say about the right to vote? How has that changed over time, and why? In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment in 2020, the National Constitution Center hosted a program featuring a panel of voting and election law experts who addressed those questions and more. They also reflected on the memory of legendary voting and civil rights advocate Congressman John Lewis, the anniversaries of two landmark suffrage amendments, and other key laws and Supreme Court decisions that changed the scope of suffrage in America. National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen was joined by Alexander Keyssar of the Harvard Kennedy School, Derek Muller of Iowa Law School, and Franita Tolson of the USC Gould School of Law.This program was part of the Center’s yearlong initiative, Women and the Constitution, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, and was made possible through the generous support of SteegeThomson Communications.Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Recently, the National Constitution Center hosted a symposium bringing together contributors from The Battle for the Constitution website—a joint project from the National Constitution Center and The Atlantic that features essays exploring current constitutional issues from all perspectives.Today we’re sharing the second panel of the symposium: a conversation on the key constitutional issues raised by the coronavirus crisis. Jeffrey Rosen was joined by scholars Deborah Pearlstein, Polly Price, and Adam White to discuss how coronavirus has impacted democracy and the forthcoming 2020 election, public health law, the functioning of government, and more.Read The Battle for the Constitution including essays by these panelists here https://www.theatlantic.com/projects/battle-constitution/Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Last week, the National Constitution Center hosted a symposium bringing together contributors from The Battle for the Constitution website—a joint project from the National Constitution Center and The Atlantic that features essays exploring current constitutional issues from all perspectives. Today we’re sharing the first panel of the symposium: a conversation on the constitutional dimensions of policing and protests. Jeffrey Rosen was joined by former Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, as well as First Amendment expert and law professor John Inazu, and policing expert and law professor Tracey Meares.  This program is presented in partnership with The Atlantic and in conjunction with The Battle for the Constitution website linked here http://www.theatlantic.com/projects/battle-constitution/. It is also made possible through generous support from the John Templeton Foundation.Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

On June 19, 1775, The Continental Congress commissioned George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. Shortly after he received his commission, Washington left for Massachusetts and assumed command of the Continental Army in Cambridge on July 3, 1775. In honor of that anniversary and of the Fourth of July holiday this weekend, we’re sharing a program on Washington from earlier this year. Acclaimed historians Lindsay Chervinsky and Edward Larson joined National Constitution Center President  and CEO Jeffrey Rosen to discuss Washington and his role in the Revolutionary War and the Founding. Chervinsky is the author of The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution and Larson is author of Franklin & Washington: The Founding Partnership.  Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

This week, the NCC hosted a conversation on Congress in times of crisis featuring historians and co-hosts of the podcast Backstory Edward Ayers of the University of Richmond and Joanne Freeman of Yale University, and political scientist Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute. They explored how Congress has handled crises of the past—particularly the Civil War, other key moments throughout American history in which Congress played a pivotal role, and the lessons those moments can teach us as Congress tries to navigate today’s challenges. NCC President Jeffrey Rosen moderates.Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constituitoncenter.org.

This week, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, America’s first female secretary of state, joined host Jeffrey Rosen to reflect on her experience in government, her views on the Constitution, and how women leaders play a more important role than ever in the world today. She also shared stories from her life as told in her new book Hell and Other Destinations. This conversation was part of the National Constitution Center’s yearlong Women and the Constitution initiative in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.This program is made possible through the generous support of The John P. & Anne Welsh McNulty Foundation.Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.